


Take My Breath Away

by lovetheblazer



Series: The Every Breath You Take 'Verse [1]
Category: Glee
Genre: Asthma, Blangst, Dalton Academy, Dalton!Klaine, Early!Klaine, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2015-04-27
Packaged: 2018-01-01 19:00:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1047460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetheblazer/pseuds/lovetheblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a vigorous Warblers' rehearsal triggers a severe asthma attack, Kurt finds out that Blaine has asthma for the first time. Thankfully, the Hudson-Hummels offer to take Blaine in for the weekend so that he can recuperate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Still Anticipating Love

It had been three blissful weeks of dating Blaine. Every day brought something new and different and _wonderful_. Holding hands, lying on Blaine's bed doing homework together, hurried make out sessions in the 15 minutes after classes let out before Warblers' rehearsals started – it was all so fresh and exhilarating.

It was a small miracle Kurt wasn't failing every class, with all the distractions Blaine provided. One moment Kurt would be in the middle of class, taking diligent notes on the rise of the Roman empire when Blaine would yawn, flashing a sleepy grin at Kurt. The grin would naturally draw Kurt's attention to Blaine's lips and conjure up images of the many fantastic things they were capable of. Some nights Kurt would lay awake, mind buzzing with the realization that Blaine Anderson was his _boyfriend._ That simple revelation was enough to take his breath away.

Even now in Warbler's rehearsals, his thoughts kept drifting to Blaine. There'd been no time for a hurried make out session before practice because Blaine had to retrieve some forgotten thing from his dorm and Kurt was aching for some time alone with his boyfriend. He'd never known he could feel like this, that kissing could feel so electric, and he was already hopelessly addicted to Blaine.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Blaine stumble slightly, his movements out of sync with the other Warblers. For anyone else, it would be barely worth noticing. But Blaine _never_ messed up, even during rehearsals. Kurt was pretty sure that Blaine had come out of the womb knowing the melody, lyrics, and choreography for every pop song imaginable. “You okay?” Kurt mouthed to Blaine.

Blaine blushed, nodding sheepishly as he resumed dancing. But even from across the risers, Kurt could see the fine sheen of sweat that had broken out on Blaine's forehead. _Huh._

“Okay guys, that was great – we're going to run through it again, and try to make those movements a little sharper this time, alright?” Wes called from the front of the configuration. There were several good natured groans, but almost immediately everyone began walking back to their starting marks. Everyone that was, except for Blaine who bent at the waist, hands on his knees, seeming out of breath, letting out a hoarse, barking cough. And then another. And another.

Wes and David descended on Blaine before Kurt could make his way to him.

“Sit down, Blaine,” Wes directed, guiding him to a seated position on the risers.

“I'm – fine,” Blaine managed, face red.

“You're not,” David gently corrected. “Pretty sure you're having an asthma attack.”

“What?” Kurt gasped, kneeling at Blaine's side. “I didn't know you had asthma.”

“Sorry,” Blaine choked out, breaking off into another wheezing cough. “I didn't -” 

“Shh,” Kurt interrupted, rubbing Blaine's shoulder. “Don't worry about it,” he soothed, even as he was fighting back his own panic.

Thad joined the small group of guys circled around Blaine. “Is he okay?” he asked David worriedly. “What can I do?”

“Can you let the other guys know practice is over and to clear out? And maybe some water would help?” David suggested, watching as Thad hurried off.

“Blaine, where's your inhaler?” Wes asked. 

“M'pocket, but – it won't...” Blaine trailed off, chest heaving.

Kurt reached into Blaine's pocket, grabbing the small plastic inhaler and offering it to Wes.

Wes took the inhaler, pulling off the cap and shaking it vigorously. Kurt marveled at how familiar the Warblers seemed to be with Blaine's condition, wishing he knew how to help him.

“Here, Blaine, you need to use this now, okay?” Wes directed, passing the inhaler.

“I – already _did,_ ” Blaine panted, frustrated tears beginning to gather at the corners of his eyes as his chest continued to tighten.

“When?” David frowned, exchanging a concerned look with Wes that made Kurt's stomach lurch.

“Couple – times... Before practice,” Blaine mumbled tiredly. 

“Didn't help?” Kurt couldn't help but ask.

Blaine shook his head, biting his lip. “Kurt...” he called, voice breaking slightly.

Just from the way Blaine said his name, Kurt knew it was bad. To distract himself from his own anxiety, he grabbed Blaine's hand, stroking his thumb across his knuckles. “It's okay, it's going to be okay,” he muttered under his breath, not sure if he was trying to reassure Blaine or himself. He listened, worry growing as Wes and David begin to discuss options in hushed tones.

“Should we call an ambulance?” David frowned.

“No, remember how long they took when Nick fell and broke his wrist? It took them 30 minutes just to find us. We need to get him help faster than that.”

“So we drive him to the hospital?” 

“I guess so,” Wes murmured. “But who's going to drive? None of us have cars on campus.”

“Blaine needs to go to the hospital?” Thad gasped. He made his way to Blaine, clutching a chilled bottle of water. “I – I got this for you,” he offered, patting his knee awkwardly. 

“Thanks,” Kurt said, taking the water for Blaine who was still bent in half coughing weakly.

“Umm guys,” Kurt interjected, “I have a car in the day student lot.”

“You do?” David asked. “Okay good, we'll take it.”

“I – have no idea where the hospital is,” Kurt replied nervously.

 “I can drive,” Wes offered. “If that's okay with you?”

“Yeah, that would be good,” Kurt agreed. He carefully extricated his hand from Blaine's grasp to reach for the keys in pocket. “It's okay, I'm right here,” he soothed as Blaine whimpered, panicked when his connection with Kurt was lost. Kurt handed his keys over to Wes and immediately took Blaine's hand in his once more. Blaine slumped into him, obviously exhausted from the effort it was taking to breathe.

“What kind of car do you have?” Wes asked. “We can go get it and drive it up to the front entrance so you can stay with him.”

“It's a black Cadillac Escalade. Thanks,” Kurt answered gratefully.

“Thad, can you go talk to the house mother and let them know what's going on? They'll be wondering where we are if we're not back by bed check in.”

“Okay, keep me posted?” Thad asked. “I hope you feel better soon, Blaine,” he continued, squeezing Blaine's shoulder briefly before hurrying off. 

“Alright, let's go,” Wes said, turning to David.

“Wait,” Kurt called, irrationally worried about being left alone with Blaine when he felt so completely unprepared to help him. “How are we going to get to the car?”

“I'll come get you when the car's out front. Just stay here. Everything's going to be okay,” Wes directed, ever the leader. Given the circumstances, Kurt was grateful that someone like Wes was in charge and able to keep a cool head.

“Hey,” Kurt whispered, turning to Blaine once they were alone. “Hanging in there?”

Blaine shook his head, chest heaving and eyes watery. It was enough to spread ice through Kurt's veins.

Kurt gripped Blaine's hand tighter, fighting to keep control and to be reassuring like he knew Blaine needed right now.

“We're going to get you to the hospital soon, honey,” Kurt soothed, trying to keep his voice steady. He flushed as he realized the pet name that had slipped out unintentionally, having planned to use the term of endearment for the first time in much different circumstances. But Blaine seemed not to have noticed, so Kurt continued shakily, “...you're doing great. You're going to be fine.”

Kurt put his arm around him and Blaine sagged into the embrace, letting Kurt hold most of his weight. He laid his head on Kurt's shoulder, whispering a desperate plea. “Don't – leave me,” Blaine begged.

“I won't, I promise. I won't leave,” Kurt answered immediately, letting Blaine grip his hand so hard he knew there would be bruises. They sat in silence for what felt like forever, the passing of time marked only by the steady ticking of the antique grandfather clock in one corner of the room. Even as unfamiliar with asthma as Kurt was, he could tell Blaine's breathing was getting worse, his gasps faster and shorter than they had been only minutes earlier.

Kurt looked down at Blaine, desperate to do anything to make him feel better. He felt sick, seeing how pale Blaine was, his eyes wide with fear as hot tears slid down his cheeks. He slid a gentle hand across Blaine's cheek, wiping away tears. “Not much longer,” Kurt reassured, biting his lip. 

Thankfully, David returned shortly. “We're parked right out front,” he announced, eyes widening as he took in Blaine's state. “God – okay, let's hurry.”

“Blaine, I'm going to help you stand up for a sec, okay? Just hold onto me,” Kurt directed, voice shaking slightly. Once he was on his feet, Kurt lifted Blaine's arm, putting it around his neck and after a second, David did the same, the two of them supporting most of Blaine's weight between the two of them.

They began to head towards the front entrance as quickly as possible, spurred forward by the sound of Blaine's increasingly labored breathing.

“I've got you,” Kurt whispered to Blaine. “Almost there.”

Kurt felt dizzy with relief as they finally made it through the front door and he saw his SUV idling outside. With David's help, he climbed into the backseat with Blaine, his arms still wrapped around him protectively. He settled Blaine against him, lowering his head into his lap.

“Blaine?” he called gently. Blaine was pushing against him weakly, struggling to move for reasons Kurt couldn't understand. “It's okay, we're headed to the hospital now. Just try to relax and breathe.” 

Blaine shook his head, tears of frustration streaming down his cheeks as he lifted his head, eyes meeting Kurt's. Kurt inhaled sharply as he took in Blaine's pallor in bright sunlight, noticing that his lips were grey.

Wes tore his eyes from the road, glancing at Kurt and Blaine in the rearview mirror. “He needs to sit up,” he explained to Kurt. “It'll make it easier to breathe.”

“Oh,” Kurt gasped, immediately tugging Blaine into a seated position, keeping his arm around him to support his weight. “Is that better, honey?” he asked, rubbing Blaine's back. Blaine gave a grateful nod, chest heaving as he drew short, quick breaths.

“I'm sorry,” Kurt whispered, swallowing hard and trying to keep from crying. He felt so guilty and useless, having just unintentionally made things worse. _Some boyfriend I am_ , he thought darkly, biting back a sob. He was still lost in thought when Blaine grabbed his hand again, clutching it for dear life. Kurt looked down at Blaine and the panic etched across his face and started praying to every higher power he didn't believe in to _please just get us there now, please let him be okay._  

“Are we close? Please tell me we're almost there...” Kurt called from the backseat, hearing the fine tremors in his voice as he struggled to hold it together.

“Yeah, we're – well look,” David answered. Kurt tore his eyes from Blaine reluctantly, nearly sobbing with relief as he saw the red emergency sign in the distance.

“We're pulling ~~it~~ up to the hospital now, Blaine. You're going to be okay. Just hang on,” Kurt whispered, squeezing Blaine's hand. He felt Blaine slump against him a little more, obviously exhausted from the effort it was taking to breathe.

“I'll run in and get help,” David offered as Wes came to a screeching halt under the emergency room awning. He was out of the SUV and inside before Kurt could even reply. Wes put the car in park, undoing his seatbelt as he turned around to take a look at Kurt and Blaine. His eyes widened as he took Blaine's state in, quickly rearranging his features into a mask of composure. “You're doing great, Blaine,” he reassured quickly, patting Blaine's knee. “The doctors are going to take really good care of you.”

Suddenly, the backdoor to the SUV nearest Kurt and Blaine was flung open and a flurry of professionals descended, waiting with equipment and a gurney. Two of them reached for Blaine in tandem, trying to ease him from Kurt's lap and out of the car. Kurt reluctantly released Blaine's hand from his grasp. He was shocked when Blaine flailed, grabbing the nearest thing he could reach, the front of Kurt's shirt, holding on for dear life. 

“I'm coming – I'm coming, honey,” Kurt reassured. “I'm not leaving.” But Blaine's eyes were still wild with panic as he tried to struggle from the nurse's grasp just as they were transferring him to the waiting gurney.

“It's okay, you're going to be fine,” a nurse kept reassuring Blaine, trying to force him to lay back on the bed. “You need to lay back and let us help you,” the doctor commanded.

Kurt climbed out of the car as quickly as he could, rounding the gurney to Blaine, grabbing his free hand. “I'm still here, Blaine. Just relax. I'm not leaving.” Blaine stilled instantly, much to the relief of the medical professionals who began to quickly push Blaine inside, Kurt running beside them.

As they moved Blaine's gurney into a waiting treatment room, another nurse approached Kurt, trying to lead him away from Blaine. “Sir, you'll have to wait out here,” she directed apologetically.

“I can't... I promised him,” Kurt replied forcefully, clinging tighter to Blaine's hand.

“I'm sorry, but the policy is f-”

“He can stay,” a doctor interrupted. “It'll keep the patient calm and I'd rather not sedate him.”

“Thank you,” Kurt breathed gratefully as someone rolled a small stool over to the bed, directing him to sit down and requesting that he try to stay out of the way.

* * *

 

Kurt passed the next half hour in quiet panic while chaos swirled around him and Blaine. Inside he was a mess, but he did everything he could think of to keep that from Blaine, biting the inside of his cheek until it bled and swallowing down sobs. The only thing that kept him together was the near constant reminder that Blaine needed him. First it was the oxygen mask that Blaine didn't want to keep on, panicked at anything covering his mouth when it was already so hard to breathe. So Kurt held it in place whenever necessary, whispering words of reassurance that he wasn't sure were even registering any longer. Then it was Blaine whimpering as a nurses tried to start an IV and draw blood. So Kurt stroked Blaine's hair, staring into his eyes and promising that it would be over soon, a million terrible memories from his childhood replaying in his mind.

Blessedly, the chaos died down at last, until the hushed silence of the room was interrupted only by the constant beeping of the monitors and the galloping thump of Kurt's heart.

The doctor took out his stethoscope, listening to Blaine's chest for a moment before nodding, seemingly satisfied. “He's doing better now,” he said, turning to Kurt. “He just needs to rest. We'll keep him under observation for a few hours but he should be able to go home later tonight as long as his breathing stays stable.”

“Oh thank god,” Kurt gasped.

“Someone will be back to check on him in about 15 minutes – just hit the call light on the side of his bed if you need anything,” the doctor said as he made his way to the door.

“I will – thank you,” Kurt spoke gratefully. The door swung shut with a quiet thump, leaving Kurt alone with Blaine.

“Hey,” Kurt spoke softly, looking down at Blaine and smoothing a hand across his temple.

“Hey,” Blaine echoed, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

“Feeling a little better?” Kurt asked.

“Yeah, a lot actually,” Blaine murmured.

“Good.” Kurt shook his head ruefully, stomach still churning from the overwhelming panic and fear of the past hour. “God Blaine, you scared me so badly.”

Blaine swallowed hard, eyes fluttering closed for a long moment. When he opened them again, his eyes were wet and apologetic. “I'm so sorry, Kurt. I should have t-”

“No sweetheart, _no_ – don't be sorry,” Kurt interrupted. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

“Still, I should have said something to you sooner,” Blaine managed, hand reaching for his oxygen mask and tugging it down off his nose and mouth, trying to make it easier for Kurt to understand what he was saying. “You're my boyfriend, after all.”

“Blaine, stop,” Kurt directed, a bit more forcefully this time. He reached down and replaced the oxygen mask. “You've got to leave this on, okay? The doctor said you need to rest now - we can talk later. But honestly, you have nothing to apologize for or explain.”

Blaine gazed at Kurt, his eyes still wide with worry. Not knowing what else to do to soothe him, Kurt leaned over, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. Blaine sighed softly and as Kurt pulled back, he could see the tension beginning to drain from his body. “Try to sleep now, okay?” he asked, stroking Blaine's hair.

Blaine nodded drowsily, eyes falling to half mast. “You'll stay?” he asked.

“Of course,” Kurt answered instantly, squeezing Blaine's hand. “Just close your eyes.”

“'Kay,” Blaine murmured, nuzzling his cheek against the pillow, his eyes fluttering shut. “Love you.”

Kurt took in a stunned inhale, completely unprepared to hear those words from Blaine for the first time under such circumstances. He was still trying to formulate a response when Blaine let out a quiet snore, clearly already asleep. “Me too,” he whispered, lifting their intertwined hands and pressing a kiss to Blaine's palm.

* * *

For a long while, Kurt sat in silent reverie, eyes stinging with unshed tears as he watched the reassuring rise and fall of Blaine's chest. It was impossible to quiet his mind, however, with the persistent doubts and worries buzzing through his head. Once he was sure that Blaine was sound asleep, he carefully pried his fingers from his grasp, walked to the corner of the room, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. He typed out a quick text to David and Wes, updating them on Blaine's condition, before he dialed a phone number from memory.

“Dad?” he said as soon as the call connected, his voice shaky.

“Hey Kurt, everything okay?” Burt asked. 

“No,” Kurt practically sobbed. “I – I'm okay, but I'm at the hospital... with Blaine.” 

“What happened? Is he okay?'

“He had a bad asthma attack during rehearsal tonight and he -,” Kurt paused, shaking his head as he looked over at Blaine, still fast asleep. “Dad, I didn't know he even _had_ asthma and I had no idea what I was doing or how to help him. It was really...”

“...scary?” Burt finished for Kurt.

“Yeah, very scary.”

“I'll bet. But I'm sure you did great with everything. You were always better with the medical stuff when it came to your mom than me. Not to mention that you practically turned into a cardiologist when I had my heart trouble.”

Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes at the euphemism “heart trouble” when what had really occurred was a massive heart attack that had put his father in a medically induced coma. “I don't know...”

“Well, how's he doing now?” his dad probed.

“Better – a lot better. He's sleeping now. The doctor said his breathing has improved and that he can probably go home in a couple of hours.” 

“See then – you can't have done all that badly if he's fine now. Did you call his parents?”

“Wes did. Apparently his mother is out of town and his father was on a conference call and unreachable. The guys didn't seem too surprised by that though. It's not the first time he's been sick or in the hospital and they didn't come. We'll probably just take him back to the dorms when he's released and keep an eye on him ourselves.” 

“What kind of parents don't drop everything and run when their kid's in the hospital?” Burt scoffed. “Never mind that now,” he continued, “obviously we'll take Blaine in for the weekend since his parents can't be bothered.”

“Are you sure, dad? I mean – that would be great if you don't mind.”

“Of course I'm sure. I'll tell Carole to make up the guest bed for him when we get off the phone. Blaine's important to you, right?”

Kurt gazed at Blaine, sleeping obliviously, and swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Yeah Dad, he is.”

“Well then, he's important to me too,” Burt replied simply.

“Okay... Thanks, Dad. Hey speaking of Carole, do you mind if talk to her for a second? I still don't really get all this asthma stuff, but I want to. I'm hoping she can explain it to me?”

“Sure, buddy – just give me one sec. And I'll see you soon?”

“Yeah, I'll text you when they are getting ready to release Blaine.” Kurt waited impatiently as Burt handed the phone over to Carole with a hushed explanation.

“Hey sweetheart, how are doing?” Carole greeted him gently.

“I'm... okay, I guess. Just worried about Blaine.”

“Of course. Burt said he had an asthma attack, but didn't tell me much else. What happened, exactly?” 

“He started coughing a lot during Warblers' rehearsal and he just couldn't stop. So Wes and David had him sit down and use his inhaler, but he said he'd already used it three or four times and it wasn't helping.”

“Mhm yeah, that's typically when we'd tell a patient to go to the hospital, especially if they aren't able to breathe well enough to carry on a conversation,” Carole said.

“No, he definitely couldn't talk... or breathe, for that matter. So we helped him into the car and drove him to the hospital.”

“You did the right thing,” Carole reassured him.

“It wasn't me calling the shots, honestly – it was Wes and David. They were clearly familiar with Blaine's asthma and knew what to do. But I want to learn, Carole. I want to know how to be there for him next time so I can help him, and hopefully be less scared too. 

“I'm happy to give you a crash course this weekend, honey.”

“That would be great,” Kurt murmured. “I'd really appreciate it.”

“So how's he doing now? Do you know what treatment they're giving him?” Carole asked.

“Uhh, I don't know any of the technical terms, but he's got an oxygen mask on?”

“Is there mist coming out of it too?”

“Yeah.”

“That means they are doing a nebulizer. It's got Albuterol in it, a medication that helps open up his airways. It's the same medicine that's in his inhaler, just delivered in a different way. ” 

“Okay,” Kurt nodded, doing his best to commit the new information to memory. “What else?”

“Well, I'm assuming he has an IV too?” Carole asked and Kurt hummed a quiet affirmation. “They use that to give him fluids and they probably are also giving him some kind of steroid to help calm down the inflammation in his airways. That'll help make sure his breathing doesn't get worse again once he leaves the hospital.” 

“So he's going to be okay?” Kurt asked, his voice small. It wasn't that he didn't trust the doctors, but life had taught him to expect the worst, especially when the health of the people he loved was at stake.

“It sounds like they've got him stabilized and they're doing all the right things, yes,” Carole steadied Kurt. “Did they say anything about when they'd release him?”

“Yeah, the doctor said that they'd keep him under observation for a few hours to make sure his breathing didn't get worse again, but that he'd probably go home tonight.”

“That's good. Sounds like you have nothing to be worried about,” Carole soothed. “You should just let Blaine rest and try to do the same if you can and then Burt and I can give you both plenty of TLC this weekend, okay?”

Kurt smiled, despite himself. “Sounds great, Carole. Thanks.” Kurt's head snapped up at the sound of Blaine stirring, body shifting and searching for something. “Carole? I need to go – Blaine's waking up. I'll text you and Dad once I know more.”

“Alright sweetheart, see you soon.”

Kurt hung up the phone and was at Blaine's side in an instant, stroking his hair just as Blaine's eyes fluttered open. 

“Kurt?” Blaine rasped sleepily, reaching for Kurt.

“Yes, I'm here, honey,” Kurt replied, taking Blaine's hand in his. “Doing okay? Do you need anything?”

“Thirsty,” Blaine whispered hoarsely.

Kurt nodded, locating a stack of paper cups near the sink and carefully filling one with water. He grabbed a straw and unwrapped it, dropping it into the cup. Then he perched on the stool at Blaine's bedside once more, bringing the straw to Blaine's lips and encouraging him to drink. 

“Thanks,” Blaine said, blushing, once he'd drunk his fill.

“How're you feeling?” Kurt asked, sitting the cup of water on a bedside table and resuming the slow, rhythmic stroking across Blaine's temple.

“Okay,” Blaine answered truthfully. “Just tired. My chest hurts a little too...but it's much better than before.”

Kurt nodded sympathetically. “Well hopefully we can get you out of here soon and into a proper bed. Sound good?” 

“Yeah, although the dorm mattresses aren't all that much different or more comfortable than this one, to be quite honest.”

“Well, that's the thing...” Kurt began tentatively. “Wes and David tried to contact your parents b-” 

“...but they don't give a shit about me so of course they were unreachable?” Blaine finished, laughing ruefully. He looked at Kurt's wide eyes and concerned face, mentally cursing himself for having been so blunt. Not to mention the fact that he'd just _cursed_ in front of Kurt.

“Sorry Kurt, I shouldn't have said anything,” Blaine apologized.

“No no, I totally agree. Pardon me for saying this, Blaine, but your parents are kinda _assholes_.”

“They can be,” Blaine agreed. “But what were you trying to say before I interrupted you?”

“My dad and Carole think you should come home with me for the weekend,” Kurt replied nervously. He knew it was a big step, having Blaine spend a whole weekend with his family, staying in his home. His dad had met Blaine briefly twice, but this was different.

“Oh Kurt, that's so sweet of them, but they don't have to-” Blaine began.

“I know they don't have to, but they _want_ to. _We_ want to,” Kurt amended. “Carole's a nurse so you'll be in good hands and I want -” he stopped himself, shaking his head. Finally, he looked at Blaine, meeting his gaze as he asked, “just let me take care of you, okay?”

“I – okay,” Blaine said, swallowing hard. “If you're sure I won't be an imposition to your family.”

“Not at all, I promise. Do you want to know what my dad said when I called him?” he asked Blaine who nodded in reply. “He asked me if you were important to me and I said that you were. So then he said 'if he's important to you, he's important to me.'”

“Really?” Blaine asked, voice hushed and awed.

“Yes, really. You know how important you are to me, right? If anything happened to you, Blaine, I'd be a wreck. I couldn't bear it.”

“But I'm okay, Kurt. Really,” Blaine soothed, reaching up his free hand and stroking Kurt's cheek. 

“I know, I know,” Kurt replied, somehow still feeling the relief seep into his body as he heard those words from Blaine's mouth.

“I'm glad you're here,” Blaine smiled, eyes crinkling in the way that always made Kurt go weak in the knees.

“I'm glad I'm here too. Although, let's try not to end up here again, at least for a while, okay?” Kurt teased. “If you want to spend the weekend with me, next time just ask.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Blaine chuckled. “A whole weekend with you to myself though? Totally worth a visit to the emergency room.”

“You're ridiculous.” 

“Just one of my many charms, yet somehow you still love me anyways.” Blaine went red as a beet once he realized what he'd said, his mouth running ahead of his brain. “I – uh – I didn't mean...”

“Shh,” Kurt comforted Blaine, feeling braver knowing that those words loomed large in Blaine's brain as well. To stop his stammer and blush, Kurt leaned down impulsively, tugging down Blaine's oxygen mask for a quick kiss. “I really do, you know,” Kurt murmured as he pulled away, his eyes finding Blaine's as he replaced the oxygen mask.

“You – you do?” Blaine managed, eyes wide. “I – you too.”

“Good,” Kurt giggled, warmth surging through his body.

“God Kurt, you take my breath away,” Blaine said, the words tumbling out as if he was powerless to stop them.

“Sure that's not just the asthma talking?” Kurt teased.

“No,” Blaine gasped. “It's you – it's always been you, since the first day I met you on the staircase.”

“Took you long enough to figure it out though,” Kurt laughed.

“I know, I know, you're never going to let me live that one down, huh?” Blaine asked, trying to hold back a yawn.

“Probably not – but you can try to make it up to me by getting some more sleep.”

“If you insist,” Blaine mumbled, sighing appreciatively as Kurt carded his fingers through his hair.

As Blaine drifted off to sleep, the merest hint of a smile still on his lips, Kurt let out breath, telling himself the same thing he'd been saying since Blaine fell ill in the choir room. _He's okay. He's going to be okay._ But this time, Kurt could finally believe it was true. 


	2. Safe and Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a vigorous Warblers' rehearsal triggers a severe asthma attack, Kurt finds out that Blaine has asthma for the first time. Thankfully, the Hudson-Hummels offer to take Blaine in for the weekend so that he can recuperate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place somewhere between Rumours & Funeral in Season 2. This got a lot longer than I'd necessarily planned on it being, so there will be a Part 3 coming soon that covers the rest of Blaine's weekend at Kurt's house. TW: Medical procedures and descriptions of asthma. Finn is minor character in this chapter.

“Hey sleepyhead, it’s time to wake up,” Kurt murmured, gently shaking Blaine’s shoulder.

“Wha- Kurt?” Blaine mumbled, shooting up as he opened his eyes to see Kurt and a nurse hovering over him.

“Whoa easy, Blaine,” Kurt chuckled, rubbing his hand up and down Blaine’s arm in reassurance. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Just thought you might be ready to leave the hospital and go back to my house?”

“Yes please,” Blaine smiled weakly, starting to look a bit more awake.

“Great, I just need to go over a few things with you first,” the nurse said, rounding the bed to Blaine’s left side. “But before I do that, I need to take out your IV.”

Kurt noticed how Blaine recoiled at that, paling considerably as he watched her pull on gloves and lay out gauze and a bandage.

“I promise that it hurts a lot less coming out and then it did going in,” the nurse soothed. “Okay, are you ready?”

Blaine consented reluctantly before turning his head back towards Kurt and fixing him with a pleading look. Kurt took his hand, giving it a quick squeeze as he tried and failed to come up with the right words to console him.

Blaine winced as the nurse began to peel the medical tape from his hand. “Sorry sweetheart, this stupid tape is stubborn. I swear it hurts more to get the tape off than it does to take out the IV itself.” She pulled the last strip free and quickly slid the IV out before Blaine even had a chance to react. She placed a large gauze pad over the IV site and then secured it by wrapping a colorful bandage around his hand. “There you go, all done. Sorry about the goofy pattern. We were running low so I had to raid the pediatrics stash.”

“Let me see?” Kurt asked and Blaine dutifully showed off his bandage that was printed with cartoon characters. “Spongebob, huh? That’s right up your alley,” he couldn’t help but tease.

Blaine started laughing but quickly devolved into a coughing fit, although thankfully one that was much less violent or prolonged than before.

“Sorry, Blaine,” Kurt apologized, handing him a cup of water and rubbing his back.

“It’s okay,” Blaine rasped. “I agree, this Spongebob bandage is the best part of the hospital visit so far, though that's not exactly a high bar, is it?”

“Alright, before we send you on your way, I've got two more medications to give you. One's an antibiotic to help clear up the bronchitis you've got and keep it from turning into something more serious like pneumonia. The second is a steroid that will help reduce the inflammation in your airway to keep you from winding up back here in a day or two with another severe asthma attack,” the nurse patiently explained.

Blaine and Kurt nodded in tandem.

“The bad news is that they are both shots, so I've got to stick you two more times, I'm afraid.”

Kurt cringed in sympathy, anticipating Blaine's anxiety. He looked down at him and wasn't surprised to see Blaine worrying his lower lip between his teeth, his face a tense mask of fear. Kurt sighed.

“Both of these need to go in your hip,” the nurse continued. “Can you roll onto your side for me?”

Blaine blushed. Kurt ran a hand through his hair, a little unsure as to how to proceed. He and Blaine hadn't yet reached the stage in their relationship where they'd seen each other naked. Hell, he'd only seen Blaine shirtless a handful of times and even that was a fairly new development. The newness of their relationship definitely added considerable awkwardness to the whole ordeal.

“Do you, um, want me to step out while she gives you the shots?” Kurt stuttered out.

“No, I want you here. I  _need_  you here,” Blaine confided, almost shyly. “Is that okay?”

“Of course it is,” Kurt breathed. He looked behind him, locating the stool he'd been sitting on earlier while Blaine was sleeping. He rolled it to Blaine's bedside and sat down, all the while keeping a tight grip on his boyfriend's hand. Kurt focused all his attention on Blaine's face, wanting to give him at least the illusion of privacy while the nurse lifted up his hospital gown so she could give him the two injections.

“Kurt,” Blaine gasped out with a shaky voice.

“It's going to be okay,” Kurt tried to reassure. He reached out a hand, carding his fingers through Blaine's hair. It had long since come free of the gel due to Blaine sweating, and Kurt marveled at how soft his curls were. He kind of wanted to throw away all Blaine's gel so he had an excuse to never stop touching his hair.

“Okay sweetie, big stick,” the nurse warned.

Blaine closed his eyes, biting his lip as she injected the contents of the first syringe into his hip. After a second, he opened his eyes again, exhaling an unsteady breath.

“Doing great,” Kurt encouraged.

“One down, one to go,” the nurse added. “I'm going to give you the steroid shot now. It can sometimes burn a bit going in, but it'll be over fast. Ready?” Blaine took a moment to prepare himself and then signaled her to continue.

Kurt could tell that the second shot was considerably more painful by the way Blaine's hand crushed into his. He went still and rigid for several seconds, not moving again until the nurse finally announced she was all done.

“You okay?” Kurt asked.

Blaine finally opened his watery eyes, looking up at Kurt. “Yeah, better now that that's over,” he acknowledged in a wavering voice.

“I'm glad,” Kurt smiled and bent to kiss his forehead.

“Okay, so now I need to go over all the discharge instructions and medications. Blaine, the doctor wants you to follow up with either you GP or pulmonologist this week just to make sure you don't need to make any changes to your asthma controller medicines. Who are you going to be going home with?”  

“Kurt,” Blaine said, gesturing towards him, “my boyfriend.”

Kurt grinned proudly. “That's me.”

“Wonderful, then why don't we do this – Blaine, you can go ahead and get dressed while Kurt and I go over your prescriptions and discharge instructions in the hall. Would that be okay with you?”

“Of course, that's fine,” Blaine agreed.

Kurt concurred warily, though inwardly he was nervous. Being the sole person to receive the discharge instructions felt like a big responsibility to bear, especially given that less than 24 hours ago, he'd had no idea that Blaine had asthma. What if he forgot what the nurse told him? What if he mixed up two of the medications and managed to make Blaine sick? He knew that he had Carole as a resource once they got home. He just hoped that he'd manage to remember the important details until then.

Blaine struggled to sit up, obviously still a little wobbly.

“Oh, hang on, hon, let me help you, okay?” the nurse said, reaching for the lever to raise the head of the bed. “The medicines we gave you, not to mention the shots, tend to make people a bit woozy, so I want to make sure you don't faint on us. Then we'd have to keep you here longer and I'm sure that's the last thing you want right now.” Once the gurney was in a semi-seated position, she lowered the bed until it was closer to the floor. Then she put down the bed rail on the side nearest Kurt.

“Feeling a little less dizzy yet?” she inquired.

“Getting there,” Blaine replied. Kurt looked over at him, noticing he was still pretty pale. He stroked Blaine's upper arm, wondering if it was a bad idea to leave him, even if only for a few minutes.

“Blaine, if you need help getting dressed, I could – I mean, I don't mind, but – it's up to you and what you're comfortable with, I guess,” Kurt babbled, his cheeks flaming.

“I think I'll be able to manage but thanks. I'm starting to feel a little better now that I've been sitting up for a few minutes,” Blaine smiled, almost teasingly. Kurt was torn between being embarrassed and wanting to kiss Blaine.

“Since you're starting to get some color back in your cheeks now, I think we can have you swing your legs around and sit on the side of the bed. Don't stand up just yet, give your body a moment to adjust,” the nurse directed.

Blaine and Kurt both sat there for a minute in silence, until Blaine impulsively reached out and captured Kurt's hand with his once more. “Hi,” he greeted.

“Hi,” Kurt echoed.

“I don't think I really got to thank you for everything before... at Dalton, in the car, and now here, but I should. You've been amazing, Kurt. I don't know what I would have done without you,” Blaine uttered softly.

“You don't have to thank me, silly. That's what boyfriends are for. I know if I ever need help, you'll be there to take care of me too. That's what being in a relationship is all about, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. But still, you've gone above and beyond already, not to mention the fact that you and your family are taking me in for the whole weekend,” Blaine stated gratefully.

“Well, it's not like I don't get something out of it too,” Kurt quipped. “I get you all to myself for an entire weekend. And I bet if you look pathetic enough, Dad might even let you sleep in my room instead of making you sleep in the guest bedroom down the hall.”

“Scandalous!” Blaine joked back. He looked like he wanted to say more but before he could, he started coughing again. Kurt placed a hand between his shoulder blades and rubbed in slow circles until the coughing subsided.

“Ugh,” he groaned when he could talk again. “I'm so over this cough already.”

“I'll bet,” Kurt tutted sympathetically.

“I think I'm okay to get dressed now if you want to hand me my stuff,” Blaine announced.

Kurt exchanged a glance with the nurse, wanting to be sure she thought it was a good idea before they proceeded. When she acknowledged that she agreed, Kurt reached under the bed, pulling out the large plastic bag labeled  _patient possessions_  that contained Blaine's Dalton uniform and shoes.

“Call for us if you feel lightheaded again, okay?” he couldn't help but add. He wondered idly how long it would take for him to stop worrying over Blaine. Something told Kurt that after watching Blaine almost stop breathing in his arms, it would probably take quite awhile.

“I'll be fine,” Blaine vowed, shooing Kurt towards the door with a wry grin.

* * *

“I've got a lot of stuff to go over with you,” the nurse told Kurt. “Then I'll need you to sign this form acknowledging that I outlined everything for you and that I'm not sending a patient home alone and unattended.”

Kurt bit his lip nervously. “I should probably write this down. Do you have a piece of paper and a pen I can borrow?”

“Oh, don't worry. Everything is already written down on this piece of paper I'm going to give you. You won't have to remember anything on your own.”

“That's great,” Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry, I was a little nervous that I'd forget something important.”

“Nope, not to worry. Okay, so first of all, we've got a bunch of prescriptions for Blaine. There's an antibiotic, a steroid dose pack, cough medicine, and two different nebulizer solutions. He has a nebulizer at home, right?”

“Uhh, I'm actually not sure,” Kurt apologized. “I mean, probably, but he's going to come stay at my house for the weekend. My stepmother is a nurse though so I bet she can find us one to borrow for the weekend if Blaine doesn't have one already.” The truth was that Kurt wasn't exactly certain what a nebulizer even was. From the context, he assumed it was some sort of asthma equipment, but other than, he was at a loss.

“Oh, I didn't realize you had a nurse in the family. I probably don't need to go over all this stuff with you in much detail, in that case,” the nurse said with a reassuring grin. “I'm sure you could hand her the prescriptions and she'd know just what to do. But each prescription will also have directions on the label that spell out how to take it. I'd recommend having him take the antibiotic and steroids with food, because they tend to make a lot of people nauseous. The cough medicine the doctor prescribed has a narcotic painkiller in it which will definitely make him drowsy so he can't drive while he's taking it. In case it bothers his stomach, same thing: tell him to try eating a few crackers or toast before taking it. And then, he should call his doctor to make a follow-up appointment within one week like I mentioned earlier. Other than that, all you really need to know is that if he has another asthma attack that isn't relieved by using his nebulizer, you would need to bring him back to the hospital,” she counseled.

Kurt flinched at the idea of possibly needing to bring Blaine back to the hospital. Once had been more than enough. He fully expected to find a few grey hairs later as a result of the traumatic experience. “Does that happen a lot?” he asked in quaking voice.

“Don't worry, we've given him plenty of medications to hopefully keep that from happening. But I'm required to tell everyone what symptoms to watch out for so they'll know if they need to come back. I really doubt you'll have to deal with that though,” she soothed.

“Okay, good,” Kurt exhaled in relief. “Is that everything?”

“Yep, that's it. Just initial right here and then sign at the bottom for me, hon,” the nurse dictated, handing him a clipboard and a pen. Kurt dutifully scribbled his signature and then handed everything back to the nurse. She pulled the carbon copy off the top and passed it back to him along with several pages of prescriptions. “Alright, I think you're all set. Do you have your car parked out in the lot?”

“Yes, it's in the lot closest to the ER entrance,” he replied. Kurt was incredibly indebted to Wes for having thought through the transportation issues ahead of time, since it had been the absolute last thing on his mind at the time. Trent had come to pick up Wes and David a few hours earlier and thankfully, Wes had texted Kurt to prompt him to come retrieve his keys before they left, even telling him exactly what spot his SUV had been parked in.

“Wonderful. If you'll just pull up under the ER awning, I'll get Blaine into a wheelchair and meet you outside so he doesn't have to walk as far.”

“Sure,” Kurt agreed. The truth was that he was starting to feel a little nervous about the drive home. It wasn't exactly a short drive home to Lima and he was terrified that something would go wrong. What if Blaine had another asthma attack while they were in the car at Kurt couldn't help him?

Kurt trudged out to the parking lot, shivering in the late autumn chill. It wouldn't be long before they'd have their first snow of the season, he realized. As he made his way to where Wes had parked his car, he tugged out his cell phone, deciding to call Carole for a little last minute advice and to let her know they were on their way home.

“Hi sweetheart,” Carole answered on the second ring. “I was just starting to worry about you and Blaine. Is he finally getting released?”

“Yeah, I'm actually walking to my car now so I can meet the nurse and Blaine at the ER entrance. But I had a few questions for you first, if you don't mind?”

“Of course I don't.”

“Okay, so the nurse mentioned that Blaine will need a nebulizer. What's that? Do we need to go back to the dorm and get his or is it something I can get at the pharmacy?”

“A nebulizer is a machine that turns asthma medicines into a mist so he can breathe them into his lungs. And not to worry, I already borrowed one from our office for the weekend so we're all set,” Carole assured him.

“Oh, that's wonderful,” Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.”

“Any other questions, honey?” Carole prompted.

“What do I do if he starts having an asthma attack in the car on the way home?” Kurt worried aloud.

“I doubt that will happen, given all the treatments they gave him at the hospital, but if it did, you would just tell him to use his inhaler. He has it with him, right?”

“Yes, it's with the stuff he brought to the hospital. Alright, one last question and then I'll stop bugging you until we get home,” Kurt told Carole as he unlocked his SUV and slid behind the wheel.

“You aren't bugging me, Kurt. I told you, I'm happy to give you a crash course on asthma this weekend. I think it's really sweet that you are so determined to learn everything you can to help Blaine. I'm sure he'll appreciate it too. What do you need to know?”

Kurt quickly flipped through the pages the nurse gave him, counting under his breath. “It looks like they gave Blaine five different prescriptions. I was planning to go through the drive-through at the CVS near our house to drop everything off, because I want to get him home so he can rest as soon as possible. Would you or Dad mind going back out a little later tonight to pick them up?”

“Sure, not a problem. Now you boys drive safe, okay? And call me or your dad if you need anything.”

“I will. Thanks for everything, Carole.” Kurt hung up the phone and put on his seatbelt. He started the car and drove up to the front entrance, smiling as he saw Blaine sitting in a wheelchair outside. He looked so small, swamped in the large wheelchair as he pulled his Dalton blazer tighter around his shoulders, trying to block out the cold. Kurt could tell he was feeling a little woozy, but more importantly, he was very much alive and seemed happy to be out of the hospital at last. The feeling was definitely mutual.

Kurt put the car into park, intending to assist Blaine in getting into the car. But before he could even unbuckle his seatbelt, the passenger door was opening and Blaine's nurse was helping him inside. “Okay, you're all set,” she announced as Blaine slid into the seat. “Take care.”

“We will, thank you,” Kurt added with a wave.

“Hey,” Kurt said once the door slammed shut and they were alone again. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Blaine mumbled.

“I'll bet,” Kurt granted sympathetically. “Are you comfortable enough? Do you want me to recline the seat back for you? I've got the heat on but I could turn it up a little if you're cold? Or if you're too warm, I could-”

“Kurt,” Blaine interjected, “you know I'm going to be fine, right? I'm not dying or anything.”

Kurt blushed, a little embarrassed. “Logically, yes, I think I know that. But my brain hasn't quite caught up to that fact yet, I guess?”

Blaine could clearly commiserate.“That's adrenaline for you. I mean look at my hands,” he demonstrated, holding them level in front of his body so Kurt could see how badly they were still shaking.

“Geez,” he tutted. “Mine aren't quite that bad.”

Blaine laughed hoarsely. “Well, I also had a bunch of steroids pumped into me too. That's not helping matters either.”

“Steroids make you shake?”

“They can, among many other unpleasant side effects,” he joked, though it was clear to Kurt that he wasn't really kidding.

“Oh yeah? Like what?” Kurt wanted to know.

“I'll tell you in a bit. But first, are we planning on hanging out here much longer? Because I don't know about you, but I could really use a bed or at least a couch right about now,” Blaine hinted.

“Oh right! Of course,” Kurt trilled, feeling a bit flustered. He put the car into drive and slowly pulled out of the hospital parking lot and onto a quiet tree-lined road. When he stopped at a red light, he was surprised by Blaine taking his hand from where it was resting on the center console. Kurt squeezed it back gladly.

“Can I ask you something?” he began, looking at Blaine.

“Of course, ask away. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us, after all, though I can't promise that I'll be able to stay awake for all of it,” Blaine demurred with an easy grin.

“Is there a reason why you didn't tell me you had asthma before now? I'm not mad or offended or anything,” he rushed to reassure Blaine. “I just wasn't sure why?”

Blaine exhaled fretfully. “I'm half tempted to say that it just hadn't come up until now, but that would be a lie, because I definitely thought about telling you at least once or twice.”

“And what stopped you?”

“It's kind of a long story. I was diagnosed when I was a kid, halfway through kindergarten actually. I'd been sick with a cold but my mom thought I was healthy enough to go to school. We had a field trip to see a children's theater show and I really wanted to go. But anyways, halfway through the show I started coughing and I couldn't stop no matter how hard I tried. It was sort of like what happened today during rehearsal. One of the chaperones took me out to the lobby, thinking I just needed some water. But it was more than that and I couldn't breathe and I was scared, obviously. So I did what any sick, terrified kid that age did,” Blaine paused to cough and catch his breath before continuing. “I started crying and asking for my mom. She wasn't there, but I guess another chaperone was a nurse or doctor or something because she came over and told my teacher I was wheezing and I needed an ambulance and yeah, that's how I got diagnosed with asthma.”

“Okay,” Kurt allowed, still confused. “How does that relate to you not wanting to tell me though?”

“Sorry,” Blaine chuckled, “I got a little off track. I was in the hospital for a few days after the field trip and when I finally got back to school, a few jerks in my class called me a crybaby. It was just one of the many things I got bullied about throughout elementary and middle school. Ever since then I've tended to be pretty private about having asthma. In middle school, you were supposed to give your inhaler to the school nurse at the beginning of the year and when you needed it, you'd have to ask your teacher for permission to go down to the nurse's office so you could use it. But I just kept it in my pocket and I'd go to the bathroom to use it if I started wheezing. It seemed simpler somehow. It cut out the middle man.”

“That makes sense,” Kurt managed. However, it was hard not to be a little miffed, even after hearing Blaine's story. Surely Blaine knew him well enough to know he'd never judge him for having a chronic health problem?

“It's not that I thought you wouldn't understand or anything,” Blaine added after a minute or two of tense silence. “It's just that it's been so drilled into me to be paranoid and not trust easily that I wasn't sure when or how to broach the subject. Hell, the only reason Wes even knows about it is because we roomed together my first year at Dalton, which meant he saw my inhalers and such. I'm not sure I would have brought it up otherwise, especially after the horrible Sadie Hawkins experience I'd had at my last school,” Blaine finished before breaking off into a yawn.

“Tired?”

“Exhausted,” Blaine declared, blinking slowly at Kurt as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

“You should nap. We've got at least another hour before we make it to Lima, so you've got time,” he told him.

“Aren't you tired too? Maybe I should keep you company so you don't fall asleep while driving.”

Kurt laughed. “Trust me, that will  _not_  be a problem. I'm wide awake. And besides, your doctor and nurse insisted that you needed plenty of rest. Close your eyes,” he encouraged.

“If you're sure,” Blaine tentatively agreed. He tucked his feet up under his body and folded his arms over the center console so he could rest on his arms as if they were a pillow.

Kurt couldn't resist carding his fingers through Blaine's curls, smiling when he hummed appreciatively. “You should always wear your hair like this,” he commented. Your natural hair is beautiful, I don't know why you gel it down so much.”

“Hey now,” Blaine pouted, not bothering to open his eyes. “I like the gel. My hair can get pretty wild without it, especially when it's humid outside.”

“Maybe we can lose the gel, at least for the weekend? Pretty sure I don't have any at my house and we didn't exactly stop by your dorm for supplies before we left.”

“I guess....” Blaine trailed off. “Sleepy now,” he whispered.

“Shh, I'm trying to concentrate on the road,” Kurt teased. But there's no reply from Blaine because he was already fast asleep.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Kurt pulled up in his driveway. He quietly opened the back door to his car, carrying in the dirty laundry he'd crammed into his laundry bag last night. He was thankful that Carole insisted he bring home his uniforms on the weekends to wash, since Dalton laundry service was unnecessarily expensive and his dad could barely afford the steep tuition without factoring in extra costs. Then he grabbed the plastic bag with Blaine's filled prescriptions and his discharge papers. Since the CVS was completely empty and Blaine was still out like a light, Kurt had decided to wait for the pharmacy to fill the medications instead of forcing his dad or Carole to run out again. It seemed like he'd made the right decision given that it was already after 9 PM. He assumed Blaine would be ready to take his medicines and fall into bed for the night. He was obviously wiped out.

Kurt left a sleeping Blaine in the car so we could drop all his bags inside. His dad met him in the entryway and immediately pulled him in for a long hug.

“Where's Blaine?” Burt queried when they parted, glancing behind Kurt as if he was expecting him to pop out at any second.

“Still in the car. He's sleeping. I figured I'd bring all the bags in before I woke him up,” he explained.

“Gotcha. Well, Carole's got some soup on the warmer for the two of you and a few grilled cheese sandwiches.”

Kurt's stomach growled, as if in response, and he realized for the first time that he hadn't had anything to eat since lunch in the Dalton cafeteria around 11:30 AM.

Burt chuckled softly. “I was about to ask you if you were hungry, but I guess I got my answer there.”

“I'm starving,” Kurt admitted. “I'm not sure how hungry Blaine will be but he's supposed to eat before he takes his pills, so hopefully we can talk him into eating something.

“How's he doing?” Burt inquired.

“Better, I think,” Kurt replied. “He's just really drained and he's got a nasty cough.”

“Hi honey,” Carole greeted him as she joined them in the living room. “Where's Blaine?”

“Still out in the car. He was asleep so I figured I'd carry in all the stuff first, then wake him up.”

“Great, I'll take the laundry from you,” Carole said as she slung his overfilled laundry sack over her back. “Are those his prescriptions?” she continued, eyeing the CVS bag in Kurt's hand.

“Yeah, a whole boatload of them.” Kurt handed Carole the bag. “I figured you'd want to be in charge of those too, since I have no idea what I'm doing?”

“Sure, I'll take a look and see what they've got him on,” she agreed.

“Okay, I better go get Blaine before he wakes up and thinks I forgot about him,” Kurt decided.

“Do you need help getting him in the house?” Burt offered. “He's a tiny little thing, I'm sure I could carry him in if he – if you need the help?”

“That's okay, Dad. I appreciate it but I figure I'll just wake him up. He's got to eat and take his pills and everything before he goes to bed for the night anyway.” Kurt smiled appreciatively, proud of how far outside his comfort zone his dad had been willing to go since he'd first started dating Blaine. He'd come a long way since Kurt had come out to him a few years ago. They'd  _both_  come a long way since then.

Kurt walked out to the car and quietly opened the passenger door to his SUV. Blaine was still sound asleep and snoring. “Blaine,” Kurt called in a quiet voice, not wanting to startle him. When that didn't work, he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly as he called out his name again.

“Kurt?” Blaine finally answered in a hoarse voice, blinking up at him with heavy eyes.

“Hey, we're home now,” Kurt told him. “Ready to go inside?”

“Sounds good.” Blaine rubbed his eyes and shook his head a little, trying to clear the cobwebs away.  

“You were really out, huh?” Kurt smiled down at him.

“Yeah definitely. How am I still tired?” he grumbled.

“You had a pretty rough day. It's totally understandable. C'mon.” Kurt offered his hand to help Blaine to his feet, frowning as Blaine swayed a little. Kurt wound an arm around his waist to keep him his steady as they walked to the front door.

“Doing okay?” Kurt couldn't help but ask as Blaine leaned into his embrace.

“Yeah, just cold,” Blaine shivered. “You're warm. Or warmer than me, anyways.”

Kurt barely resisted the temptation to feel Blaine's forehead for signs of a fever. The truth was that it  _was_  quite chilly out, but that knowledge didn't do much to keep Kurt from worrying about his boyfriend. Truth be told, he was starting to wonder when worrying about Blaine had turned into a full time job.

Kurt opened the door and busied himself with locking up while Blaine was engulfed in a warm hug  from Carole and received a supportive pat on the shoulder from Burt.

“Come sit down,” Carole encouraged, shooing Blaine in the direction of the kitchen. “You boys need to eat!”

Kurt followed them towards the kitchen. As they passed through the living room, Kurt noticed Finn sitting on the couch. He had a headset on and was totally engrossed in some X-Box game that involved a lot of guns and noisy explosions. He assumed he was playing against Puck since they often had video game marathons that went well into the early hours of the morning. Kurt waved his hand in front of Finn's face several times before he finally managed to get his attention.

“Oh, hi!” Finn exclaimed. “No, not you, Puck,” he retorted into the headset. “Kurt's home, I've got to pause for a few minutes, okay? I'll be back to kick your ass soon.”

“Hey, language!” Carole warned Finn with a scolding look.

“Sorry, mom,” Finn replied, looking not very sorry at all. Kurt laughed despite himself.

“How's it going?” Finn said to him, pulling off his headset and standing up to give Kurt a big hug. “Burt said you were at the hospital?”

“Yeah, we had to take Blaine to the ER, but he's doing okay now,” Kurt confessed. He gestured towards Blaine who was hanging back, a little unsure. “You remember my boyfriend Blaine, right?”

“Of course, you guys sang that duet together at Sectionals. Good to see you again, dude,” Finn greeted Blaine, extending his hand to shake. “So are you okay now?” he asked, blunt as ever.

“Yes, I'm fine,” Blaine murmured, blushing a little. “It was just a stupid asthma attack.”

“Yikes,” Finn pulled a face. “That sounds like it would  _suck_. Well, if you're feeling up to it later, maybe you could play me in Halo? I need some new competition because Puck and Sam are horrible at it.”

“Definitely, I'd like that,” Blaine grinned. Kurt watched Blaine's shoulders slump slightly in relief and suddenly he was almost stupidly grateful for Finn and his innate skill for putting people at ease.

“Okay Finn, let them eat before their soup gets cold,” Carole commanded, poking her head into the living room.

“Are there any leftover grilled cheese sandwiches?” Finn requested. “Because if so, I could totally eat again.”

“Four sandwiches weren't enough for you, huh?” Burt chuckled. Carole just rolled her eyes in fond exasperation as she reached for the loaf of bread and opened the refrigerator to take out more cheese.

Kurt and Blaine sat down at the table where Carole had helpfully laid out two bowls of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich for each of them.

“I hope tomato basil soup is okay with you, Blaine?” Carole questioned

“It's my favorite actually. Thank you so much,” Blaine declared.

“Wonderful! Well, eat up because you're going to need something in your stomach before you take all these pills.” Carole gestured to the various pill bottles spread out in front of her. She carefully read each label before putting the correct number of pills into a small paper dixie cup.

Kurt didn't need to be told to eat twice since his stomach was already rumbling with hunger. He dug in eagerly, appreciative of the way the warmth of the soup seemed to chase away the lingering chill from being outside. “This is delicious, Carole.”

“Glad you liked it. It's my mother's recipe. Nothing fancy, except that it requires fresh basil instead of that horrible freeze-dried stuff they sell in the spice aisle. It makes all the difference, I've found” Carole told him.

Kurt glanced over at Blaine, watching him eat a few tentative bites of soup. Then Blaine sighed, putting down the spoon and turning his head so he could cough painfully into the crook of his elbow. Kurt leaned over and rubbed his back while he coughed.

Burt exchanged a concerned look with Carole. “That's a pretty nasty cough you've got there.”

“Sorry,” Blaine apologized once the coughing fit finally stopped.

“Nothing to apologize for, honey,” Carole assured him. “Why don't I get you something to drink - is water good or would you prefer iced tea?”

“Water would be great, thanks.”

Kurt kept a protective arm around Blaine's back. “Not that hungry?” he wondered, eyeing the measly amount of food Blaine had managed to consume. 

“No, I am. It's just hard to eat and breathe at the same time,” Blaine complained with more than a hint of frustration.

“Maybe try to eat a few more bites of your sandwich and then you can go lay down, okay?” Kurt nudged.

Blaine signaled his agreement, picking up the grilled cheese and taking a large bite. Carole walked over and set a glass of ice water next to his plate and he picked it up, taking several large gulps.

Carole sat down across the table from Kurt and Blaine and slid two paper cups towards them. “Okay, so those are the medications you need to take right now. I'm afraid there are quite a few of them.”

“Let me see?” Kurt requested, picking up the first cup. It contained six small white pills and a larger pink one. “Seven pills? Jesus,” he swore under his breath.

“Yeah, that's the way the steroid taper works. You take six pills the first day, five the second day, and so on and so forth. Usually you'd try to spread those six pills out over the course of the day, but since you guys didn't get home until so late, you won't really have a chance to do that,” Carole laid out.

Blaine didn't seem phased however, throwing back all the pills in the cup at once and swallowing them with a large swig of water. Kurt had to admit that he was kind of impressed.

“The other cup has your cough medicine in it. It'll definitely make you sleepy so you could wait a little bit to take it if you're not ready to get in bed pretty soon. But judging by how much trouble you're having keeping your eyes open right now, I suspect that won't be a problem, hmm?” Carole smiled at Blaine.

“Sorry,” Blaine apologized again out of habit, “I'm just really beat.”

“Well, not to worry because Carole's already got the guest room all set up for you. Sounds like you could use some more rest, kid,” Burt insisted.

“About that...” Kurt began carefully.

“Yes?” Burt's voice was gruff. Kurt sensed he was already treading on thin ice, but undeterred, he pushed on.

“I think it would make more sense for Blaine to sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep on the pull out bed,” he rushed to add before his dad could object. “I'm just worried he might have an asthma attack in the middle of the night and need help. I'd like to be close enough that I'll hear him if he starts wheezing, okay Dad?” Kurt practically begged.

Blaine's face went red and he feigned a sudden interest in his soup as he stared down at the table. He rubbed at the side of his neck awkwardly and tried unsuccessfully to stifle another hacking cough.

Burt exchanged a long look with Carole, obviously still not on board with the idea. “I think that might be wise, at least for tonight,” she finally said to Burt. Kurt shot her an appreciative thumbs up.

Burt exhaled dramatically. “Alright fine, I guess that's okay for tonight. But no funny business, got it?”

“Of course,” Blaine answered immediately. Kurt rolled his eyes but agreed as well.

“Done eating?” Kurt asked Blaine.

“Yeah, I think that's all I'm going to be able to eat tonight. I'm just too exhausted,” Blaine groaned.

“Then why don't you take your cough medicine and then we'll head upstairs to bed, okay?” he suggested.

Blaine picked up the second paper cup and quickly swallowed the red syrupy liquid, grimacing at the sweet faux cherry flavor and bitter aftertaste. He chased it down with the remainder of the the glass of water.

“That bad, huh?” Kurt giggled.

“Ugh, so gross,” Blaine shuddered.

“Alright boys, since you are about to turn in I better give you this.” Carole walked over and handed Kurt two small boxes of medication with pharmacy labels. “These are the medications for Blaine's nebulizer. You need to do one vial out of each box before you go to sleep. Kurt, I left the nebulizer on your bed. I assume Blaine can handle setting it up? It might be a little different than the machine you've got at home, but it should be close enough.”

“I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out. Thank you for dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel. And really for everything this weekend,” Blaine spoke, barely suppressing another yawn.

“Of course, kiddo. Get some rest,” Burt smiled.

“I'm just down the hall if you need anything, okay?” Carole reminded them, obviously noticing the slightly panicked look on Kurt's face.

Kurt took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. He could totally do this. “Goodnight guys,” he waved and offered his arm to Blaine to lead him through the living room and up the stairs.

“Are you going to bed  _already_?” Finn sputtered disbelievingly as they walked by him. He was still sitting in the exact same position on the couch, clutching an X-Box controller in one hand. “It's a Friday night!”

“As much as we'd love to be cool like you and stay up until 2 AM playing video games, yes, we're going to bed,” Kurt said with more than a hint of sarcasm. “It's been a long day and Blaine needs to rest.”

“If you say so,” Finn winked. “Don't worry, I won't tell Mom and Burt that you're really going upstairs to make out,” he stage whispered, causing Blaine's face to turn beet red.

“Finn,” Kurt hissed, “all we'll be doing is sleeping. Not playing tonsil hockey like you and Rachel are so fond of. Blaine's sick, remember? I'm not going to risk getting sick too, especially when we've got a big Warblers' performance coming up.”

“That's pretty smart. Remember when I caught mono from Santana at the kissing booth? Now that  _sucked_ , even if it did mean I got to miss school for a whole week. Skipping school really isn't that fun when your girlfriend brings over a giant stack of homework that you have to do. Don't you think if you're sick enough to be home, they should excuse you from homework too? Only seems fair,” Finn ranted.

Blaine swayed a little on his feet and Kurt had to wind his arm around his waist to keep him steady. “You okay?” he asked softly.

“Mhm,” Blaine hummed. “I think the cough medicine's starting to kick in.”

“Let's get you upstairs before you pass out then,” Kurt laughed, taking in Blaine's dopey expression. “Goodnight Finn.”

“Night bro, night Blaine,” Finn replied.

Kurt half walked, half carried Blaine up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom and deposited him on the bed. He began rooting around in his drawers for a clean t-shirt and pair of sweatpants for Blaine to borrow to sleep in. He decided on a pair of yoga pants that were just a tad too short and snug for him since they'd been shrunk in the dryer by a well-meaning but slightly oblivious Carole. He had a feeling that they'd fit Blaine better than they fit him now. He tossed them over to Blaine. “I figured you'd want something slightly more comfortable than our over-starched uniform to sleep in,” he reasoned. “Will those work?”

“Perfect.” Blaine bent down to untie his wing-tipped shoes. He made quick work of his shoes and socks and then began unbuttoning his shirt. Kurt blushed as he realized Blaine wasn't wearing an undershirt underneath. It's not like he hadn't seen his boyfriend shirtless before, but there was something decidedly more intimate about watching him undress and slowly reveal his smooth, muscled chest, in Kurt's bedroom no less.

Blaine beamed wickedly at him as he slid the button down shirt from his shoulders and reached for the t-shirt, noticing Kurt's blush. “Sorry, am I making you uncomfortable by changing in here?” he asked, not seeming sorry in the least.

“No, you're totally fine!” Kurt reassured him a little too eagerly. “But I should – I'm going to change in the bathroom. I need to scrub all this hospital grit off my face before I break out,” he finished lamely. He chanced another glance at Blaine, his face flushing even brighter as he took in his almost comical pout. The idea that Blaine desperately wanted to ogle him as he changed clothes had his heart beating faster. There was a part of Kurt that wanted that very much too, but he figured that it wouldn't be right to take advantage of the situation with Blaine being sick and doped up on cough medicine. He wanted to know for sure that they were both feeling the same things and to have a discussion about what it meant before they went any further physically.

Kurt gathered his pajamas and reluctantly walked out of the bedroom and into the connecting bathroom, hearing the unmistakeable snick of the zipper of Blaine's pants being slid down as he closed the door behind him. It took considerable willpower to keep from sneaking a peek. He quickly stripped off his own clothes and changed into a pair of comfy flannel pajamas. He turned on the faucet and began his nightly skin care routine, losing himself in the familiar ritual. He was so engrossed in what he was doing that he was startled by the sound of a knock on the bathroom door.

“Hey, are you decent now?” Blaine called in a soft, rough voice.

Kurt opened the door in lieu of reply. He raked his gaze over Blaine's body, appreciating the way his yoga pants hugged the curves of his muscled thighs.  _I bet he looks even better from behind_ , Kurt thought, barely suppressing a groan.  

“You don't happen to have a spare toothbrush I could borrow, do you?” Blaine wondered. “I figured it might be good to take care of that now before I faceplant on the bed.”

“I think I do, hang on,” Kurt said, rummaging in the drawers until he found a plain, unopened toothbrush. Blaine clearly took his instructions literally as he stumbled slightly before reaching out to tightly grip the bathroom counter.

“Here you go,” Kurt offered him the toothbrush. “Are you okay?” he frowned, noticing how wobbly Blaine was.

“Fine, just high,” Blaine announced cheerfully. “I've always been sensitive to medications and this cough medicine is... whoa.”

Kurt laughed. “Oh my god, this is even better than the time you got drunk and kissed Rachel Berry.”

“Don't remind me,” he groaned, covering his face. “I'm never going to live that humiliation down.”

“Hey, let's be real, it was totally worth it because it gave you a chance to spend the night with me, right?”

“Sure, although it would have been even better if I actually remembered anything about that night,” Blaine chuckled.

“Well, hopefully you'll remember it this time. Although with that cough medicine, I'm not sure. Maybe it'll give you amnesia like the alcohol did?” Kurt grinned. He finished rubbing the moisturizer into his skin and reached for his toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. He squirted some onto his brush and then passed it to Blaine so he could do the same. They stood in silence for several minutes, elbows bumping as they brushed their teeth together side by side. It felt strangely intimate to Kurt, as if suddenly his heart was too big for his chest. Blaine was so  _important_  to him and he felt incredibly lucky that they'd both survived today. While it had been a terrifying experience that he hoped to never ever repeat, there was no doubt in his mind that it had brought the two of them closer together. And for that, Kurt was thankful.

“All done?” Kurt wanted to know as Blaine set his toothbrush down on the corner of the sink.

“Yeah,” Blaine slurred, his eyes blinking heavily. “Let's go to bed. I'm sleepy.”

“You've got to do your nebulizer first, honey. Remember?” Kurt reminded him.

“I know,” Blaine grumbled. “But thankfully I don't have to stay awake the whole time to do it.”

“You don't?” Kurt asked, a little confused.

“Nah, not really. I'll show you.”

Kurt followed Blaine back to the bedroom where he picked up the small, grey machine sitting on his bed that he assumed was the nebulizer Carole borrowed from work. “Where's the nearest outlet?” Blaine inquired.

“Here.” Kurt reached for the plug. Then he leaned over, slotting it into the outlet between his bed and nightstand.

“Thanks.” Blaine opened each of the boxes of medication in turn, retrieving two large silver foil packets. He tore them open and took one small, plastic vial from each, before putting the remainders back in their boxes and placing them on Kurt's nightstand.

“That's the medicine you breathe in?” Kurt leaned forward so he could watch Blaine set up the nebulizer.

“Yes, this is Albuterol which is the same medicine in my inhaler. And this one is...” Blaine trailed off as he squinted to read the raised plastic letters on the second vial, “...Pulmicort.”

“So what do you do with them?”

Blaine unscrewed the lid on a small chamber that was connected to the machine via a length of tubing. He picked up one of the vials and expertly twisted off the top. Then he turned it upside down and squirted the contents of it into the chamber.

“Can I do the other one?” Kurt asked tentatively.

“Yeah sure, if you want,” Blaine shrugged.

He took the second vial and repeated Blaine's earlier movements, twisting off the top. Blaine held the chamber and Kurt carefully emptied the medication into it. “That wasn't so hard,” he announced proudly.

“Good job,” Blaine congratulated him.

“Now what?”

“I just need to put the lid back on and voila,” he announced with a clumsy flourish of his hand. “It's ready to go now. All I have to do is turn it on.” Blaine flipped the switch on the nebulizer and the machine roared to life, humming loudly. Blaine placed the mouthpiece on top of the chamber into his mouth, breathing deeply. Kurt watched with fascination as a fine mist came out of the opposite end every time Blaine exhaled.

“It's loud,” he spoke up over the buzz of the nebulizer.

Blaine removed the mouthpiece for a moment so he could reply. “Sorry about that,” he apologized.

“No, don't be. I don't mind a bit. Now do your nebulizer,” he glared until Blaine started breathing in the mist again. “I'm going to pull out the other bed.”

Blaine leaned back against the wall, obviously worn out and spent from the trials of the day. Kurt knelt on the floor and grabbed the edges of the pull out bed tucked underneath the bed Blaine was sitting on. He tugged it out with considerable effort and then reached for the levers on either side to lift it up to its full height, level with his bed. He pushed it back up against the other bed, transforming his queen bed into one that was closer to king sized. It wouldn't be quite the same as sleeping in the same bed as Blaine, but it was definitely the next best thing. Kurt was grateful that he'd be close enough to keep a watchful eye on him while they slept.

Kurt walked to his closet to pull out a quilt and a couple of extra pillows. He carried them back, draping the quilt over the bed and placing the two pillows at the head. When he looked over at Blaine, he noticed that he was already starting to doze, his head lolling onto his shoulder and his hand still clutching tight to the nebulizer.

Kurt crawled over to him, shaking Blaine's shoulder. “Blaine, wake up for a second.”

It took Kurt three more tries before Blaine finally responded. “What?” he moaned sleepily.

“I figured you probably wouldn't want to fall asleep sitting up or you're going to have a massive crick in your neck in the morning,” Kurt told him. “Besides, you need to finish your nebulizer first.”

“Don't wanna,” Blaine whined. “It takes at least twenty minutes. I can't stay awake that long.”

“I know, but it's important,” Kurt encouraged. He helped Blaine slide underneath the blankets and tucked him in.

“Can you just turn it off when it's done?” Blaine practically begged. “Then I can sleep.”

“How will I know that it's done?”

“When there's no more liquid in the little thingie,” Blaine tried to explain, pointing to the small chamber underneath the mouthpiece. “All you have to do is flip off the switch.”

“Okay, I think I can handle that,” Kurt smiled.

“Thanks, you're the bes',” Blaine slurred, his eyes falling to half mast.

“Get some sleep.” Kurt watched Blaine in silent reverie as his eyes slipped shut again and he drifted off into sleep, finding solace in the steady rise and fall in his chest. After a few minutes, Blaine's arm jerked and then fell to the bed, no longer gripping the base of the nebulizer mouthpiece. Kurt grabbed hold of it instead before it could slip from his mouth, leaning forward to inspect how much medication was left in the chamber. It looked like it was maybe half done. Kurt sighed a little, arm already burning from the slightly awkward angle necessary to keep his grip on Blaine's nebulizer.

Kurt scooted towards Blaine until he was more on his bed than the pull out bed, making it much easier to hold onto the mouthpiece without punishing his arm. Kurt reached out with his free hand, carding his fingers through Blaine's curls. He continued to watch him sleep, heart warmed with love and growing affection for Blaine. He was so lucky, he couldn't help thinking. Blaine was more than he'd ever dared to even dream for. And with every new piece of the puzzle that Blaine revealed, Kurt loved him more and more. Even his imperfections were endearing to Kurt, because they made Blaine all the more real and reminded him that Blaine wasn't a fantasy. He existed, solid and undeniable beneath Kurt's hands, snoring softly.

For all the stress and heartache that today had brought, Kurt was appreciative of the chance to be of use and help Blaine through a tough situation, just as he'd helped Kurt conquer his fears of being bullied by Karofsky. He'd never imagined that one day someone might look to him and be truly thankful for the love, support, and guidance that he could provide. Kurt knew that he still had a lot to learn about this newest hurdle and he wouldn't be satisfied until he was a true asthma expert, second only to Carole or Blaine. He had no doubt that he would get there eventually though. As his dad had reminded him earlier, he'd all but become a cardiologist and nutritionist after his dad's heart attack. Someone had needed to step up to ensure his dad didn't throw his life away on bacon cheeseburgers and beer and being a couch potato. Someone had to get him on the right path to health and wellness and Kurt had been proud to be that person for him. He only hoped that one day he'd be able to do the same for Blaine.

Kurt didn't have as many memories of his mom as he would like, but one thing he did remember distinctly is how well she always took care of the two men in her life: Burt and Kurt. Anytime Kurt fell ill with a cold or the flu, she was right there with soup and ginger ale and ice cream and Kurt's favorite cartoons. Kurt fondly remembered spending hours with his head in his mother's lap while she stroked his hair and sang him to sleep. It might be the thing he missed most about her, aside from her hugs. He hoped that he'd inherited even a small fraction of that caretaking ability from her. He wanted to believe that he had.

Kurt yawned and stretched, looking down at the nebulizer again. This time the chamber was practically empty. Relieved and exhausted in equal measure, Kurt reached over and flipped the switch to turn off the machine. The loud buzzing immediately ceased and he took a long moment to simply revel in the quietness and stillness of the room. He gently tugged the mouthpiece from Blaine's mouth, trying not to rouse him. Thankfully, Blaine just mumbled something indistinct and rubbed his cheek against the pillow, but did not wake.

Kurt unplugged the nebulizer from the wall and set it on the floor next to his bed. Then he reached over and flipped off the lamp, shrouding the room in darkness. He made his way back to the edge of the bed closest to Blaine, planting an impulsive kiss on his forehead. Then he climbed under the quilt and settled his head on the pillows. In the darkness he managed to locate Blaine's hand, twining their fingers together. As he closed his eyes and gave in to the siren call of sleep, a familiar melody sparked in his mind.

_Just close your eyes_   
_The sun is going down_   
_You'll be alright_   
_No one can hurt you now_   
_Come morning light_   
_You and I'll be safe and sound_

**Author's Note:**

> I am taking prompts for the 'verse on my Tumblr (lovetheblazer is my URL) or here as well.


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